What's Up With the Holiday Inn on Telegraph?

[BFoster]

The old Holiday Inn on Telegraph in Southfield has been on a steady downward spiral for the past couple of years. It went from a Holiday Inn to a 3rd tier knock-off [[Holiday Resort?), and then a few months ago it was "closed for repairs". Thing is, I pass by there all the time, and there was no sign of any repair or renovation taking place. A few days ago, I noticed that the sign had changed, and now reads "Closed". Does anybody know, is the place kaput? It's been a long descent from the days when the hotel had a fancy rotating restaurant on the top floor.

[crawford]

It's abandoned.

There are FAR too many hotel rooms in metro Detroit. Older hotels in iffy locations [[like this one) are going to either turn to flophouses or shut down.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

It was reported on the news a couple of months ago, that the owner owed over $500,000 to DTE energy. They had to evacuate all the tenants, and it hasn't been open since.

[softailrider]

Hotel wasn't doing very well at all, I know somebody who worked there. She told me some nights they would only have 5 or 6 rooms rented. That hotel has over 400 rooms. Hotel - motel business in this area is TERRBLE. Even new and newer properties are suffering.

[ConantNHolbrook]

Hotel wasn't doing very well at all, I know somebody who worked there. She told me some nights they would only have 5 or 6 rooms rented. That hotel has over 400 rooms. Hotel - motel business in this area is TERRBLE. Even new and newer properties are suffering.

I worked there 6 or 7 years ago. It was gloomy and dirty then, mostly empty and populated on the weekends by raucous kids' birthday parties at the pool and NW Detroit gangbangers. They held on to their Holiday Inn franchise for so long because an employee in the management there had done a "favor" years ago while a law enforcement officer for a son of corporate management. Definitely not a business clientele, lots of drug and prostitution traffic.

[Ray1936]

Hmmm. Could Southfield be the next Detroit?

[crawford]

Hmmm. Could Southfield be the next Detroit?

It already is.

Detroit, Part 2: The Sprawly, Strip Mall Version

[Grundyke]

I know exactly what happened as my dad's company bid for the internet service for the new owner's. He thought he had the deal and they kept blowing him off saying next week as they were not ready. The never paid the down payment. Then a few months later DTE did shut off the power for non payment. There were people renting rooms to live in and not stay in [[some not so savory characters I hear) and they could not rent out the rooms. They still owe the power bill and they do not have any money. I believe someone is renting part of the parking lot for car storage. Assume this place will not reopen anytime soon.

[East Detroit]

Tear that schitt down.

I see Franklin Park Towers is now surrounded by a high fence and guards. Go figure.

I thought buying an import and moving to Southfield was a way to say you're better? Gosh, too bad.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Tear that schitt down.

I see Franklin Park Towers is now surrounded by a high fence and guards. Go figure.

I thought buying an import and moving to Southfield was a way to say you're better? Gosh, too bad.

Now everyone's "throwing Southfield under the bus"? Why, because of a dilapidated hotel?? C'mon it's not the slums. Seems to me anytime a communities race majority changes, it's labeled the Next Detroit. Gimme a break.

[crawford]

Now everyone's "throwing Southfield under the bus"? Why, because of a dilapidated hotel?? C'mon it's not the slums. Seems to me anytime a communities race majority changes, it's labeled the Next Detroit. Gimme a break.

Did you hear about the woman murdered in Southfield last night? It's in the Free Press.

How about the one two weeks ago?

What about the waitress executed as she left work?

How about half the city council under investigation for corruption?

How about a school system that has gone from a gem to bad in 20 years?

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Did you hear about the woman murdered in Southfield last night? It's in the Free Press.

How about the one two weeks ago?

What about the waitress executed as she left work?

How about half the city council under investigation for corruption?

How about a school system that has gone from a gem to bad in 20 years?

First off, you need to get your facts straight, before you pop off about something. One Council Member [[Latimore) was indicted for corruption involving the sale of a jewelry store/pawn shop in Southfield. The school system is not as good as in the past, but they aren't terrible.As far as the crime, Farmington Hills, Berkley, Bloomfield Twp have all seen a uptick in crime during this recession. I wouldn't go so far as saying Southfield is any worse off than those communities, other than the taxes are high, but the services are great. You pay for what you get. From the tone of other posts of yours, you sure sound racist to me.

[crawford]

.As far as the crime, Farmington Hills, Berkley, Bloomfield Twp have all seen a uptick in crime during this recession. I wouldn't go so far as saying Southfield is any worse off than those communities, other than the taxes are high, but the services are great. You pay for what you get.

Yeah, sure...Bloomfield and Southfield are the exact same in desirability. No difference whatsover.

And if you "get what you pay for", why do Detroiters pay some of the highest taxes in the state and get crap services?

Why do Southfield residents pay the highest school taxes in Oakland County and get the third worst schools in the county?

.
From the tone of other posts of yours, you sure sound racist to me.

Yes, and don't forget all those blacks fleeing Southfield for West Bloomfield, Farmington Hills, Beverly Hills, Bingham Farms, etc.

They are obviously all racists too!

Don't they know Southfield is as good as Bloomfield? 8 Mile is the same as Lone Pine Road?

[East Detroit]

Now everyone's "throwing Southfield under the bus"? Why, because of a dilapidated hotel?? C'mon it's not the slums. Seems to me anytime a communities race majority changes, it's labeled the Next Detroit. Gimme a break.

Nobody mentioned race... except you.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Nobody mentioned race... except you.

And Crawford.

[gazhekwe]

That is a myth that Southfield has a bad school system. All elementary and middle schools in the district met Adequate Yearly Progress standards of the No Child Left Behind Act for both Math and Language Arts. Although the high schools didn't meet the AYPs they did meet the graduation objectives and have not been sanctioned for not meeting them two years in a row.

According to NCLB, schools have until 2013 to make AYP, although not meeting it for two years in a row can lead to sanctions. It is quite common for schools to miss AYP. The prior year in Michigan, of 1149 high schools, 660 made AYP and 489 did not.

According to Southfield's website: Student scores on the Michigan Education Assessment Tests have shown a steady improvement since 1990 and are above State average.

[trstar]

That is a myth that Southfield has a bad school system. All elementary and middle schools in the district met Adequate Yearly Progress standards of the No Child Left Behind Act for both Math and Language Arts. Although the high schools didn't meet the AYPs they did meet the graduation objectives and have not been sanctioned for not meeting them two years in a row.

According to NCLB, schools have until 2013 to make AYP, although not meeting it for two years in a row can lead to sanctions. It is quite common for schools to miss AYP. The prior year in Michigan, of 1149 high schools, 660 made AYP and 489 did not.

According to Southfield's website: Student scores on the Michigan Education Assessment Tests have shown a steady improvement since 1990 and are above State average.

c'mon don't let the facts spoil a good Southfield bashing!

[cmubryan]

Okay, okay I must stick up for my original hometown for the first 10 years of my life...

Southfield is not the upper-income haven it once was in the 60s, 70s and 80s. In fact, some people might say its an "inner-ring suburb with inner-city problems." Is this true?

It was and is the first step out of the city for a lot of people. 40 years ago that group was Jews moving out of the city. For the last 20 years that group has been African Americans moving out of the city. Does that make it an extention of Detroit? Well, that would depend on what you mean by "extension of Detroit." Southfield is very suburban with little in the way of sidewalks and streetlamps. Yes there are many glass and steel skyscrapers but they flank the city in a very suburban style with vast parking lots surrounding them. Does not resemble Detroit in city set-up or architecture.

Probably what people refer to are the social problems that haunt inner-city Detroit. I can't say with certainty that these problems plague Southfield. Property theft is pretty common like the city, however serious crime such as murder or aggravated assaults I don't believe are. The perception of crime may be worse than it is due to other factors and stereotypes.

I manage an apartment community in the area of the [[former) Holiday Inn and [[former) Franklin Park Towers and can tell you that while on occasion there are some minor crime incidents it certaintly is not out of control. Most importantly and UNLIKE Detroit or Pontiac, the police are VERY responsive and take their jobs very seriously. The residents for the most part take pride in the community and want to keep the area as safe and desirable as possible.

In short, Southfield will never be what it once was [[the Novi or Canton of the 1960s and 1970s) but as long as the local government and police keep their act together it will not fall down the path of an "inner city" either.

The loss of the Holiday Inn is not surprising but still dissapointing. Due to a comibination of an aging product in an area that is over saturated with hotels, Southfield has lost many former high-end hotels. The Michigan Inn/Sheraton/Plaza Hotel on JL Hudson Dr at Northland is barely operating, The Sheraton/Days Hotel/Ramada on Nine Mile is abandoned, Stouffer's Northland Inn was abandoned and torn down, The Ramada on Telegraph south of 12 Mile is torn down, and now the Southfield Holiday Inn is abandoned.

However, the Marriotts, Westin, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn, Best Western, Hilton Garden Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Comfort Suites, and more have continued to operate under the same franchise for years.

[Capnhook]

One of the highlights of Southfield is the public library. We lived in Southfield when we first moved to the area in the mid-90s and somewhere along the way southfield decided to upgrade the facilities. The result is spectacular. the place is in high demand on the weekends but the setup is nice enough to spread the demand across the building.

[Zimm]

The loss of the Holiday Inn is not surprising but still dissapointing. Due to a comibination of an aging product in an area that is over saturated with hotels, Southfield has lost many former high-end hotels. The Michigan Inn/Sheraton/Plaza Hotel on JL Hudson Dr at Northland is barely operating, The Sheraton/Days Hotel/Ramada on Nine Mile is abandoned, Stouffer's Northland Inn was abandoned and torn down, The Ramada on Telegraph south of 12 Mile is torn down, and now the Southfield Holiday Inn is abandoned.

cmubryan-you seem to be a bit of a resident expert on the area. i have been wondering about a building that appears to be a former hotel. it's a large tower, roughly 20 stories that lies right across the street from the entrance to the OCC campus. do you have any background on this building?

from some angles, it has a very "soviet block" look to it, especially the side with the long faded red elevator tower. looks like it's been abandoned for decades.

it amazes me that OCC is willing to sink millions into an expansion of their southfield campus when the neighborhood is full of vacancies and this rotting hulk lies right axcross the street...

[cmubryan]

cmubryan-you seem to be a bit of a resident expert on the area. i have been wondering about a building that appears to be a former hotel. it's a large tower, roughly 20 stories that lies right across the street from the entrance to the OCC campus. do you have any background on this building?

from some angles, it has a very "soviet block" look to it, especially the side with the long faded red elevator tower. looks like it's been abandoned for decades.

it amazes me that OCC is willing to sink millions into an expansion of their southfield campus when the neighborhood is full of vacancies and this rotting hulk lies right axcross the street...

Zimm, the building you are talking about started life as the Shiawassee Hotel in the mid-1970s. Shortly thereafeter it became the Sheraton Southfield Hotel. Then a few years down the road after that [[maybe early to mid 1980s), Sheraton took over its competitor, the Michigan Inn on JL Hudson Drive adjacent to Northland. At that time, the hotel became affiliated with the Days Inn brand only at that time it was named the "Days Hotel and Convention Center" which is pretty much just a higher-end Days Inn. It spent the rest of the 1980s and early 1990s with that affiliation. Then sometime in the 1990s [[maybe early-mid 90s) it became the Ramada Southfield Convention Center Hotel and really started to decline. It spent probably a good 10-15 years with this brand and had a number of incidents happen. Most recently after losing its Ramada franchise rights [[maybe some time in 2006 or 2007) it was known at just the Southfield Hotel and Convention Center for a very short time and closed probably towards the end of 2007. I remember sometime around February 2008 it was being auctioned off but don't know what happened with that.

Here's a link to postcard of the hotel with its original name: http://www.playle.com/listing.php?i=RHEAV2026

[crawford]

That is a myth that Southfield has a bad school system. .

No, it's a fact nowadays. Southfield Public Schools are definitely bad.

Southfield schools are ranked 371st in the state. That's terrible, especially considering they are top 5 in per-pupil spending.

And, within Oakland County, only Pontiac and Oak Park are ranked worse.

Source:
http://www.schooldigger.com/go/MI/sc...81/school.aspx

Keep in mind that Southfield public schools were stellar as recently as 20 years ago, when they were compared to places like Birmingham and Bloomfield. Now they are compared to Detroit and Pontiac.

Both high schools were huge feeder schools to elite institutions. No longer.

And I think the lack of diversity is also a factor. Southfield Public Schools used to be among the most diverse in metro Detroit. They are now among the least diverse; even less diverse than Detroit.

The schools are essentially 100% African American, which is not necessarily bad, but it speaks to lack of desirability from basically everyone else.

[East Detroit]

The schools are essentially 100% African American, which is not necessarily bad, but it speaks to lack of desirability from basically everyone else.

What does "not necessarily bad" mean?

"Basically everyone else" doesn't like a 100% AA school district?

Essentially... not necessarily... basically....

What are you trying to say?

[crawford]

What does "not necessarily bad" mean?

"Basically everyone else" doesn't like a 100% AA school district?

Essentially... not necessarily... basically....

What are you trying to say?

I thought I said it quite clearly.

Southfield is ONLY desirable to African Americans. No one else wants to live there. Only 13% of the U.S. population would even consider residence. The other 87% are virtually nonexistent in the schools.

And, if you have been following demographic trends in the last five years, you would know that middle-class Southfied African Americans have been fleeing Southfield in droves.

The % of African Americans in West Bloomfield schools has nearly tripled in about five years. Farmington Hills is similar.

If you ask a teacher in these districts, these students are coming from Southfield Public Schools, and they left because those schools are going down the tubes.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

No, it's a fact nowadays. Southfield Public Schools are definitely bad.

Southfield schools are ranked 371st in the state. That's terrible, especially considering they are top 5 in per-pupil spending.

And, within Oakland County, only Pontiac and Oak Park are ranked worse.

Source:
http://www.schooldigger.com/go/MI/sc...81/school.aspx

Keep in mind that Southfield public schools were stellar as recently as 20 years ago, when they were compared to places like Birmingham and Bloomfield. Now they are compared to Detroit and Pontiac.

Both high schools were huge feeder schools to elite institutions. No longer.

And I think the lack of diversity is also a factor. Southfield Public Schools used to be among the most diverse in metro Detroit. They are now among the least diverse; even less diverse than Detroit.

The schools are essentially 100% African American, which is not necessarily bad, but it speaks to lack of desirability from basically everyone else.

So spell it out Crawford, what are you trying to say??? What point are you trying to prove?? " If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck??